Life is the most precious gift anyone has to experience or to lose. I think the Living Will essay has a bit of an agenda but was reminded of my own conflicting feelings while reading it. On the one hand I don't think anyone should ever give up their life unless its to save those they care about more than themselves. I believe that if life is so horrible that someone doesn't want to live for themselves then they should live it for others, and make their lives better. That person could donate their time to a religion or any cause that is noble and they may even find new reasons to live. I can only imagine what the world would be like if everyone helped each other, just a little...

However I also believe that modern medicine creates a situation where people who are not meant to live, do so. Generally this is wonderful but if someone is in excruciating pain and misery that can not be fixed then the final decision should be no one's but theirs. It's very easy to sit in a position of health and comfort and judge others or determine what they can and can't do but to me that is frankly wrong. I believe one of the fundamental experiences of life is freedom and ultimate freedom over ones self as long as you are not harming anyone else.

Also consider that parent animals frequently kill or even eat their weakest offspring so that the others can survive and pass on the best genes ensuring their evolution and survival as a species. Now consider that we are not animals, we have evolved beyond behavior like that but we are facing new problems. The earth is already rapidly running out of space and food. Now consider if people lived 200 years old, or 400? It will happen. Where will they all go? Who gets to live and why?
-Peter